healthy weight loss Archives - Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Fruit Shake Recipes On-the-Go

Fruit shake recipes (aka fruity smoothies) is something good and healthy for mornings or before a hike. Enjoy the 3 fruity ideas 🍓🍒 below.

…I was inspired by smoothie to-go (or on-the-go recipes) because I found I actually crave a cold one on an adventurous hike or on a warm day.

…Or after I’ve reached the mountain top and taken in the height and scenery, I’m thinking, ok… what’s next?

…And a strawberry milkshake 💭 usually comes up, but is not in hand.

It’s a food dream I have in my head… that even matches my pink wear on some days 💕

But then I talk myself out of the shake because the reality sinks in… fast food milkshakes are usually full of sugar and high calories.

…Which isn’t good for all the good exercise calorie loss (or weight loss) that just happened while hiking.

Plus on-the-road, I don’t want to stop if I don’t have to, so I let my craving time pass while driving.

Like you in your travels, I want to keep going…

So to be aligned 😁, I found a good satiating solution… that’s a cold fruit shake I bring along with me… that’s waiting for me after the hike later in the afternoon.

Oh, and it’s HEALTHY too! 🎉

So this week’s post is all about fruit shake recipes you can enjoy and take on-the-go along with you.

And if you like fruit shakes, these easy fruit shake recipes are healthy taste ideas you can use at home or on your next outing adventure! 🧉

Be sure to also check out my tips waaay below 👇 for these enjoyable take-with-you fruit shake recipes….

In the fruit shakes, the fruit and a ‘lil honey, syrup, or spice is the added sweetness.

They’re loaded with vitamin nutrients and the healthy good stuff.

And while a banana is a great smoothie texture and healthy ingredient, if you’re not a fan, below are some other ingredient substitutions that will hold up outside on activity game day.

And the best part is… the ingredients in a fruit shake drink is refreshing, guilt-free, and convenient.

…That’s what I think golfers thought when I was a kid on the golf course serving ice cold lemonade 😀

The most important feature was the ice cold part 🥶 that cools and soothes our Pitta on a warm or overheated activity day.

And in that Pitta Ayurvedic balancing spirit, you can prepare these fruit shake recipes the day before (that’ll please you and others when you want them)!

Easy move: freeze the fruit shakes, and then take them with you in your cool tumbler or cups.

If you take the fruit shakes out from the freezer in the morning, by afternoon or sooner they will have slowly melted for drinking.

You can also bring with you some water and ice in a cooler (if you weren’t planning to already).

And if your fruit smoothie shake has melted too much, add a few ice cubes.

…And if still too frozen, add a ‘lil water to melt.

It’s that easy to get the perfect temperature drink on-the-go! 🧡

Your fruit smoothie will be temperature ready for you when you’re ready to celebrate and feeling happy that you reached the summit top (or whatever that is for your day)…

You can stroll, sip, and enjoy a cold strawberry 🍓 with a strawberries-and-cream fruit shake vibe wherever you are.

…That’s what I’m talking about!

Another fruit shake idea is a grapefruit shake for less sweet-on-the-go tastes.

This fruit shake recipe has whole grapefruit prepared, unsweetened applesauce, and ginger powder.

When you pair whole ingredients that are a tasty duo together, they don’t need sweetness… and that’s coming from the mouth of a serious sweet tooth with former-caterer tastes. 😊

Grapefruit is loaded with Vitamin C that’s anti-inflammatory and good for you especially if you have outdoor allergies, but want to enjoy a sunshine-y day.

Or a star day.

…Anthocyanin strawberries can be the red star ingredient you add.

Anthocyanin is a polyphenol that’s eat-from-the-rainbow 🌈 anti-inflammatory healthy. It’s also part of a healthy Mediterranean diet full of red, blue, and black berries.

For a strawberry fruit shake, the strawberries are also loaded with Vitamin C (as are most food in the same fruit category)… and Vitamin B-9 or folate that’s especially good for cells.

Keeping healthy cells is what matters most in anti-inflammatory living.

And this strawberry fruit shake recipe is made with almond flour, 3-5 strawberries, and almond milk.

The almond flour texture gives it a slight thicker strawberries-and-cream vibe.

But there’s no cream.

…That wouldn’t be good on warm days or for healthy dessert drinks.

Speaking of which a cherry and apple fruit shake is another one that’s enjoyable and has whole and healthy ingredients that are great for travel. See recipe below 🍒🍎

Ingredients for a cherry shake include: dark cherry and chopped apples. For some sweetness, you can add cinnamon and/or maple syrup.

And for texture, you can add ground flax seed that’s filled with omega-3, fiber, and protein.

You can also add chia seeds and ground oats for an overnight oats effect if you want to go that route.

But whatever ingredients you ultimately decide on, the dark cherry and apple make this one satisfying fruit shake. 😋

Ingredients for fruit shake recipes are whole and healthy like in an cherry apple smoothie shake. — Ingredients for a cherry apple fruit shake drink.

And these are some good tips for your on-the-go fruit shake recipes…

Fruit Shake Tips For Recipes

✅Use frozen fruit as ice! Also, when fruit isn’t yet in season, buy frozen fruit that’s more economical and doesn’t go bad.

✅Look for organic berries and fruits.

If you’re using the fruit peels, citrus zest or berries, whether frozen or fresh produce, organic is the better pesticide-free way for healthy living. Bananas are an exception since the peels aren’t consumed.

✅Bananas make great smoothie textures. And if you don’t prefer bananas for smoothie fruit shake recipes or don’t have any bananas on hand, these make great fruit shake recipe ingredient substitutes:

chopped apples

applesauce

protein, collagen, or energy powder – will help you keep going in the day

fruit zest (from the outside peel)

If you don’t have a nutrition powder, you can use a gluten-free (healthy) flour like almond or coconut flour good for sweet drinks.

Use a freezer-safe cup or tumbler, and freeze overnight so that your fruit shake stays cold. Pull out in the morning and put by your things you’ll be packing for the day (so you don’t forget!).

For more healthy smoothie ideas, grab this FREE smoothie guide challenge (if you dare 😊)!

Cherry Fruit Shake

This will fill about 12 of an 8 ounce cup leaving room for ice or water as needed during the day. For a full cup, double the ingredients.

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

1/2 cup tart or Bing cherries
1/2 cup peeled and chopped apple
1/2 cup almond milk

Instructions

Blend ingredients and freeze for at least several hours.

Chocolate Cake – No Eggs

Chocolate cake that’s healthy exists! And it’s not Devil’s cake with all the calories.

Like these chocolate cakes in ice cream cone cookie cutter shapes you can make without any egg.

These are topped with healthy Greek yogurt “frosting” in colors like a pairing match spumoni ice cream with no eggs. 🇮🇹

It is anti-inflammatory healthy with the ingredients in the chocolate cake recipe below 👇… but don’t let the healthy fool you.

Because this is a DELICIOUS and moist cake (you’ll see the batter below) that smells chocolate amazing from the oven when baking.

You may be surprised at the good food tastes and healthy, plant-based ingredients… and this may tip you in favor of becoming a healthy chocolate cake convert. 🧡

…Plus this chocolate cake has a melt-in-your-mouth soft cake texture like that from an ice cream sandwich or a packaged dessert with cream in the middle… 😋

On that note, you can add a cream in the middle or on the top… and maraschino or glace cherries too like in this ice cream illusion trio. 🍒🍦

Based on the previous descriptions, it’s hard to believe that mostly gluten-free flour is part of the chocolate cake mix.

Gluten-Free Flour

Since non-gluten flours are softer (and mostly used in this healthy chocolate cake recipe), you will need more gluten-free flour than if you were using all or mostly gluten flours like all-purpose flour commonly used.

Gluten-free flours will make a soft batter without gluten. So you will not need to use a mixer. All you need is a spoon to combine the wet and dry ingredients.

It’s so easy to mix that I even just used one of the plastic teaspoons I was using to measure in ingredients to mix, that works just fine. Less cleanup. 😊

This is the perfect lazy day bake!

And you can use a silver spoon (or messy whisk) to mix ingredients if you prefer (or whatever makes you happy!).

The batter consistency almost looks like chocolate ice cream. How fitting!

And what makes this cake special and low-sugar healthy is the special sugar choice…

Maple Syrup

Table or white sugar is not needed for most bakes to add sweetness. And it’s not needed in this cake recipe, as the more healthy sugar choice is maple syrup.

A little maple syrup goes a long way to sweeten… and is low glycemic which means it won’t spike your blood sugar the way table sugar would.

That’s good for anti-inflammatory benefits.

Vermont Grade A maple syrup is one of the best.

And you can easily source maple syrup all over the Northeast. Maybe even around their sugar maple trees. 🌳

I used maple syrup from the Adirondacks for this recipe below. But our Canadian friends are also well known for their maple syrup that’s part of the country’s tradition.

…It’s not just GOOD for pancakes. 🥞

Maple syrup is also a cooling food, so it’s a great sweetner choice for warm days, your Pitta stress and irritations you have in your life. 😊, and for ice cream cool chocolate cake…

This is where it gets happy and fun!

Pick Your Flavors

For your chocolate cake batter, you can lean into pure chocolate with just the cocoa in the recipe, or you can add sophisticated adult tasting vibes with ginger, coconut flour, or dark cocoa (more like an Oreo cookie vibe).

You get to choose your flavors before you bake… like when you’re in an ice cream parlor shop picking out flavors.

If you want a dark cocoa vibe, you can add black cocoa that will be a more intense cocoa. Think of the blackish color from the black cocoa as dramatic chocolate like in your cookies and cream desserts.

Keep in mind, adding dark cocoa will mean that it’ll take longer to bake as any time you have dark (blackish) color bakes (cakes, cookies, bread, etc.), they take longer than lighter bakes to bake.

And for this healthy cake, if you prefer more chocolate and pure chocolate tastes, you can add chocolate chip morsels (approx. 1-2 tbsps) where you’ll get pops of chocolates in your baked bites like a chocolate chip cookie. 🍪

And if you want to make this cake with chocolate coconut-y vibes 😋, you can include 1 tsp of coconut chips. And substitute the almond flour in the recipe with coconut flour that’s also gluten-free.

And for more choices and variety, if you don’t mind a spicy kick… pair with pungent ginger (that’s delightful!). You can add a teaspoon of ginger powder. Red (chili) pepper flakes also go great with chocolate.

There are very few baking spices that don’t pair well with chocolate! 🍫

Other Tips:

Flatten and even out your chocolate cake batter with a plastic lid. Dust with cocoa (or a little flour) so that it doesn’t stick. Easy peasy! No need for a rolling pin.

Also, you can pre-score cut your cake shapes before baking. Or use a round springform pan for a traditional cake if you will be making a round cake to more easily pop the cake out since the cake won’t be as springy like with a mostly gluten-flour cake.

You’ll know when it’s baked done when you can lift the bottom in one baking piece. Don’t over bake this one or you’ll have cookies! 🍪🍪

And technically, you could eat this without baking like a chocolate mousse and don’t need to bake this cake batter because there’s no egg, BUT for the decadent light chocolate cake texture (and not no-bake cocoa balls), pop it in the magical oven.

And if you want to use egg, you can. I did an experiment to see the rise difference and there wasn’t much. Can you tell which ice cream chocolate cake has egg?

…Didn’t think so.

It’s the one on the right that’s slightly fuller and higher but only by comparison. 🐣 You’d not notice the difference on a ready-to-eat plate.

So the choice is yours… to egg or not. Either way, enjoy these crowd pleasers for your next table party!

Healthy Chocolate Cake

Healthy chocolate cake where you can make one 8" or 9" round cake or 4 - 3" wide cakes shaped in ice cream cone or fun cookie cutter shape (your choice). Great for parties and all ages!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup almond milk, plus additional (add as needed)
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp cocoa powder + 1 tsp
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp light olive oil (or neutral oil)
pinch of salt

Instructions

Mix ingredients by hand with a spoon. Almond flour is a gluten-free flour that will make a softer batter. Work in enough wet ingredients so the batter falls off the spoon together. The batter will be noticeably more grainy and less gloppy/smooth than a full gluten flour batter. For chocolate cake sandwiches, roll out to about 1/4 inch thick.
Bake at 325°F for about 20 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean). Don't overbake or you'll get cookies.
Sometimes the bottom is still moist, so if you use a springform cake pan, you can take a small peek or simply add another 5-10 minutes to ensure it's dry at the bottom. When you bake at low temps and slow, you don't have to worry about burning your cake and still getting a little rise.
Let cool, frost, and enjoy!

Dry January The Healthy Tea Way

Dry January is catchy these days as people (…maybe you?) want to be better to their health and bodies than before because living longer optimally is available.

…And I have an offer below 👇 (that’s FREE) to help this cause, and if that’s where you are!

Drinking healthy is smart and good for weight loss as metabolism and the body changes over decades.

…And no matter what age you are, we’re living in tech exciting times.

That surely (if nothing else yet) keeps us curious to what’s next and on our toes! 🩰

Curiosity and wonder is what this life journey is all about. 💭

And to enjoy life fully, being healthy changes everything about daily life.

It’s the daily little steps that make all the difference. 🐾

And this article is all about how you can optimize your life with healthy tea (and other anti-inflammatory drinks) you can celebrate the ride with through dry January if that’s what you’re doing or aspiring to.

Your healthy drink habit intentions and efforts could be the one action step change that changes the trajectory of your future. No judgment wherever you are, just a mild fact.

…You can avoid surprising health diagnoses and gain healthy outcomes with the one life you and I get by your daily drink habits.

And off the bat, ruling out excessive drinking is good for your body.

…Not just cocktails, but also regular mocktails 🧉filled with sugar. That often comes in a pretty and shiny can.

And for starters, I’m a Sugar Queen.

I know all about the substance as I was the kid who delighted in spoonfuls of sugar out of the sugar jar and always had candy, cookies, cakes… you name it.

If you had a sweet emergency, you could always count on me to have something sweet-on-hand to calm your nerves. 😁

And today I still enjoy the sweet bakes with low-sugar so I can feed my craving that’s not a sugar addiction.

Sugar drinks is where you can score lots of points. I had my own lessons learned experiences. That’s how I started my mornings for a few years where cola felt good.

These days, I can’t tell you the last time I picked up a soda pop because I broke the bad habit.

When you get to that point, your body helps you too and you no longer have a sweet soda craving (addiction).

But getting there can be gradual.

And a good place to start is replacing bad drink habits with simple and low-sugar drinks that are good for your health, like healthy smoothies.

There are also plenty of delicious natural drinks that have a great taste out-of-the-box that don’t need much thought to make or zhugh to create…

Teas are at the top of list.

With a little added water (that is the drink of life), you’re off to the races, avoiding some headaches and overeating.

Water is life and naturally the drink for all life, like camels that can’t get enough of the flowing crystal liquid 🐪

And water in tea as flavoring is a great way to add variety drinks to your day!

The healthy tea benefits outweigh the concerns for stained teeth and any other tea-related disadvantages.

…I’ve been drinking black tea and all different color 🌈 and types of teas my entire adult life, and my teeth are still white.

Plus, we live in an era of whitener options to get them pearly.

And tea is much better for your teeth than sugar.

One super tea is green tea (more on this below 👇).

And if you’re not a green tea 🍵 flavor fan (like most Vata first people that prefer sweet), there are options, like: fruity herbal tea and adding cinnamon spice.

There is so much drink-from-the-rainbow variety! 🌈

And last time I checked the stores, there were whole aisle shelves filled with teas, so you’re in good company to support a dry January cause that can be year-round.

Packaged tea from grocery stores often come with 20 bags and for under $20 you can buy lots of tea variety.

But before you head to the stores, check your teas at home.

When you’re ready, head to your tea stash to survey what your current options are. And maybe think of how you can add to the deficit.

In your kitchen shelves, as part of organization, you can pull out all your tea bags and loose teas (whether they’re in bags or not).

Sniff how fresh they are.

And see what your (Ayurvedic) preferences are as your nose knows!

That’s what I like to do also with spices during the holidays.

…This sniffing idea caught on with me from childhood slumber parties I went to.

Sleepovers were a popular thing to do.

And one New Year’s childhood sleepover (…back then, they were all dry 😊), we stormed my friend’s kitchen (aka parent’s cabinets) and pulled out all the spices and set them on the table… and from there we did a fun blind sniff test on one another.

That started my cinnamon curiosity. 💕

…And that cinnamon stick memory sticks with me as decades later I’m into the Ayurvedic spice. 😊

Just like that, I grew from sugar to cinnamon girl! 🧒🏻 🦸🏻‍♀️

And today you can do the same fun experience with your tea and spices at home.

…In the malls I went to (another popular past-time), there were Teavana stores (that Starbucks currently owns) where they kept loose teas and they would let you sniff the loose tea wafts.

The employees waved the tin tops so you can make your own tea pairing blends.

And you could bring back the canisters to refill. I miss those days when I fell in love with mate tea and chai undertones that are BOTH even more popular today!

That’s inspiration for making your own home tea blends that can be made from spices, and vice versa.

…And with teas in front of you, you can mix-and-match and have a dry January party every day. 🎉

You can even double-up with 2 tea bag flavors to light your tea fancy.

…And this is how you can fit your green tea in that goes well with peach and other fruity flavors.

Leaving the teas out so they’re visible brings tea possibilities.

Detox, black, green, herbal, white, and red (rooibos) teas… bring it on! This is my sample stash that changes as often as the seasons…

When you sniff teas, the tea smell strength tells the tea story… of how it will taste brewed. And also how healthy it will be.

The healthy profile is in the fresh, so that’s one reason why freshness and expiration dates do matter.

On Green Tea

Green tea is one of the most healthy tea types, and matcha tea is one potent green tea type that is high in tea caffeine if that’s important to you. 🍵

Teas have anti-inflammatory healthy profiles. Like L-theanine in green teas and catechin (polyphenols) in white and black teas.

Usually polyphenols are rainbow 🌈 colors, but black is void of colors and white has all the colors.

Like fine wines, green teas have grades and ceremonial grade is high-quality and going to be the most favorable for a sweet tooth.

Premium grade is close, but comes from a second harvest so will be a more like a traditional green tea that’s bitter and culinary grade.

And green tea is great for a tea ritual.

Dry January won’t seem as dry with your tea practice that is cozy warming 🕯️and complement yoga time on your mat. 🧘🏻‍♀️

Muti-tasking both is healthy.

And as for beginner tea tools:

Buy or bring out a tea pot that will make your party enjoyment easier.

Growing up, tea pots with jasmine tea are familiar to me because that’s when I saw them served with fortune cookies at Chinese restaurants my family occasionally went to.

And in trying this at home, keep in mind a tea pot is not a tea kettle. 🫖

Word to the wise: read the instructions that came in the box.

And if it’s a hand-me down pot or doesn’t come with any instruction (…sound familiar?), proceed with caution as many ceramic or clay pots are not boiling water heat-safe… so they could blow a lid.

Leave the tea pot on the serving table and pour the hot water from the stove tea kettle into the table tea pot.

And if you are drinking green tea, let any boiling water cool down first to steaming hot (but not boiling hot).

⛔️ Boiled water burns green tea leaves and that’s how you get a more bitter taste that isn’t favorable (that will make a non-green tea fan even less of a fan!).

To sweeten, you can also add honey and a great healthy flavor pairing is lemon.

Lemon and green tea are anti-inflammatory activating-powerful as a pairing. ⚡️

And when you lean into fun flavors like pucker-up lemon 🍋, dry January will no longer be as dry anymore… and also when you immerse yourself in teas that are easy to find.

Like, a Chai Latte where you fall in love with tea as your new go-to comfort when you’re feeling bored with water.

Or try a ginger tea and you’ve got a delicious drink that’ll give you something to hang your hat on (and not a hangover). Pair with lime, orange, or lemon that are all winter citrus fruits with a zippy vibe.

📣 NEW: For more inspiration, if you would like more daily healthy tea and drink ideas, grab my FREE digital/printable 7-Day healthy smoothie recipe guide.

👉 And if you want super easy and healthy blender recipe ideas, check out my NEW Magic Bullet recipes.

Healthy Foods That Are Anti-Inflammatory Good

Healthy foods change your life…

They are not difficult to spot grocery shopping and easy to incorporate into your daily healthy lifestyle. This article is about anti-inflammatory healthy foods that will give your body and wallet the best bang for the buck, so you can have a healthy year and future.

…And that’s something to get excited about and celebrate. 🎉

…Which btw, I’m all about celebrating. That was how I started my career as a hotel catering sales manager and later for restaurant parties. My job in those roles was to plan event menus with prepared food dishes and desserts that made hosts and guests attending happy. These days, in similar fun festive spirit, I still do this at home weekly.

Party planning is fun, and it’s good to come up with a sweet and savory spread to enjoy in moderation and share on a celebration table of joy!

…But healthy-minded.

And to offset the happy food (that’s not always healthy), I bake in and eat lots of anti-inflammatory healthy foods in between.

Because anti-inflammatory foods help to work against all the foods and bad adds that are not helping our bodies.

Many of the good adds are plant-based foods and their anti-inflammatory properties are meant to protect the plant for survival.

…And as consumers, we benefit. 🎉

When I realized that fact, I never looked at my produce house plants grown from seeds in the same way again. 🌱🥑

Shelling out out the greens 💸for the green healthy foods is an investment in our bodies. And if you’re a green thumb, maybe you grow your own! 🥬

There are endless variety lists of healthy foods (and that’s the exciting part I’m talkin’ about!).

Elevating to the next degree is putting on AI (as in Anti-Inflammatory) glasses 👓 to choose low-glycemic foods and rainbow polyphenol foods 🌈

That’s just another way to finding anti-inflammatory healthy foods all around us.

They prevent free radicals in the body that I learned about in my college days when revealed science was already ahead of its time.

I even hung up a poster from the American Cancer Society that promoted basic whole foods like apples, oranges, and avocados. The colorful poster made me happy, splashed against my wall of poster art that was popular to do in those days.

…Ah, but those were the innocent years when adults didn’t know that healthy Omega-3 fats and nuts would be deemed good one day. How nuts! 🥜

…And those were also the days I educated my vitamin supplement consumers I had on the power of super foods with Vitamins A, C, and E that thankfully hasn’t changed healthy value much over the test of time. If anything, they are even more sought after in these longer living years.

Vitamin C was used to cure scurvy as early as the 1700s and today is a top immunity booster.

These Vit-C anti-inflammatory foods are the same healthy foods found around the world that protect against the common chronic diseases that we know, like: heart diseases, lifestyle born diseases, certain cancers, and even cognitive decline… that’s becoming more common family table talk on the rise.

…But it doesn’t have to be this way.

We can point to people who inherited pretty good or great genes, but now look decades older than their age because of lifestyle choices or causes.

Then there are others who weren’t so gene-blessed, but despite their genes they chose to live a healthy lifestyle and you would never know their unfavorable hidden genes based on their active lifestyle and healthy appearances.

One big difference for either is how they take care of themselves in life. Healthy, they protect their mind, body, and spirit, and they have purpose and community.

Anti-inflammatory foods and beverages also helped carry them into their golden years so they could optimally live.

Anti-inflammatory Foods Is Self-Care

Anti-inflammatory healthy foods is self-care in action.

The healthy foods can be weaved into daily eating habits and even baking… I know this intimately well because I do it weekly.

You can make delicious and comforting Southern-type meals and bakes with anti-inflammatory ingredients. It’s mindful and can be simple effort tweaks with an anti-inflammatory recipe.

Replacing with anti-inflammatory ingredients instead of the inflammatory, processed ones (that offer little to no nutritional value) makes a world of difference to the body.

Take a Southern dish like collard greens. Instead of loading with butter and bacon (like a stuffed potato), additive choice could be to add capers and olive oil as a healthy version. For a foodie, that tastes great and is comparable in the wallet for a food shopper. 🛒

But ah… there are traditionalists who don’t want to change a generational recipe… or find that style bland.

The challenge benefit is that if you do change it up, your tastes will help change along with you.

And that’s one way where you can improve your health legacy from previous generations. If your ancestors knew better or had better ingredients, they would have used them.

…And we do today. So we have a better choice.

It’s up to us.

Believe me, I know it’s hard to eat skinny, healthy, lean and mean during wintery months when comfort food is calling. This help keep us Vatas warm and cozy.🧶

Plus, winter season is a natural time to bring out our sad or sleepy Kapha body and mind sides. We’re complex beings in our comfort pants 😉.

And that’s when you can bring out the warm, savory healthy foods and anti-inflammatory healthy, delicious bakes to the table.

…And for starting the day and changing journey. 🌅

In mine, I took a sweet tooth cereal breakfast to a healthy savory habit.

That was not an easy path until I made up my mind.

Plus, age is on our side. Our taste buds help us out as we have less sweet taste buds as we get older.

Changing habits and ways to match desires is the challenge that gets to the goal. 🎯

It’s made easier with baby step action, habit changes.

…Like entertaining the idea of dinner leftovers for an easy breakfast or prepared vegetables for starters. And then doing it!

Even if we don’t naturally gravitate toward veggies first. 🙋🏻‍♀️

…Or we’ve created a habit of cereals and croissants.

I grew up that way along with oatmeal and fruit.

To bridge the wide gap, I made it easy on myself… I found that raw veggies eaten the next day don’t need to be refrigerated or prepared. So they’re easy to grab-n-go.

…They can be left out in plain sight even when feeling morning groggy and waiting to drink a cup of coffee.

The habit can be as easy as drinking a glass of water or brushing your teeth, first thing.

And getting in those few pieces of fiber healthy foods revs up the engine. It gets the gut happy, and that helps us get happy.

Happy gut = happy empowered day. 😊

Water and healthy foods are the gas and oil that makes the car go without hiccups so we can have a healthy life.

And these are a few simple fiber and anti-inflammatory healthy foods you can add to your diet that require little to no prep. They are healthy good if you’re on a keto diet of sorts because of the net carbs factor (in case you’re counting):

Asparagus – it’s a prebiotic fiber food that feeds your gut good food (bacteria) and has Vitamins A, C, and E. The net carbs for 6 spears of asparagus is about 2 grams. That’s pretty darn good!

But, with an anti-inflammatory diet rainbow assortment of foods 🌈, you don’t really need to count the good.

Green lentils – this is a quick cook, protein-filled meal and is a cleanse. It has almost 16 grams of fiber per cup, and sometimes double that of other lentil types. This is where reading labels comes in handy!

Add your alliums like onions or garlic that are fiber and also immunity boosters.

Bug pests hate them as well as viruses like the common cold. You can buy these whole foods in bunches for pennies to the dollar and they last a long time.

Sunflower seeds – are full of protein and Vitamin E, an antioxidant. You can add these for crunch.

And maybe even imagine them instead of chips.

Avocado – is great for breaking a fast (like breakfast). It has Vitamins C and E antioxidants and has all 3 macronutrients.

Red bell peppers – were stuffed peppers in my catering days that became a Vegetarian dish we served. With a little rice, you can make this a meal stuffed with Vitamins A, C, and E.

Squash – like spaghetti squash and butternut squash sauce can be the new tomato sauce (especially if you’re avoiding high acidity). These nutrient-dense healthy foods are polyphenol-rich, anti-inflammatory good.

Spinach – is an easy one to add to a bowl. Spinach doesn’t expire quickly like other salad types… and rather than eating it as a cold salad, try adding a few drops of water and steaming.

Your greens get wilted down into one or two bite-fulls. With a little garlic, sweet pear or apple bits, and crunchy chopped walnuts, this becomes a delicious bite. And, 1 cup of spinach is about 1 net carb gram.

My plan starts with foods winning points for the body keeping score, like the ones described with veggie fiber, healthy oil, protein, and healthy carbs.

Certain protein foods like quinoa and lentils are an efficient cooked starter as they cook fast and fill the body with nutrients and keep you from feeling hungry.

And, quinoa cereal became one of my bridge foods from sweet to savory.

Then on Sunday brunch weekends, I make Greek yogurt parfaits. Almost everything on my brunch recipes table that looks white and creamy is probiotic yogurt healthy. That goes for the tartar sauce, “whipped cream” toppings, and sweet fillings.

Rarely, do I find a need to use the whipped cream that’s stored in my freezer. And these days, I think the tart yogurt tastes better with the paired sweets.

…That’s how your tastes can change!

Greek yogurt topped on a pumpkin trifle. 🧡

And these are 3 ways you can get inspired to add and eat more anti-inflammatory healthy foods:

1.Lean into the seasonal produce foods that interest you. Like squashes, citrus, apples, pumpkin, and winter berries. You can find so many new fruit varieties like jackfruit and dragon fruit on the grocery shelves (and so many others that haven’t even made it from our tropical climate lands to our markets where they are named).

2.Reinvent sides. The stuffing sides can be what gets some of us in trouble, and if the carbs is what you’re worried about, you can reinvent the starchier side carbs to work for your body.

Stick with veggies carbs that are the opposite and with very few calories, and some have great flavors such as mushrooms, asparagus, and onions that you can turn into a Provencal herby-forward experience with a little tarragon, white pepper, vinegar or sherry.

Carrots (raw and cooked) are so versatile for sweet and savory dishes where you can substitute the fun marshmallows with a divine anti-inflammatory diet pairing like ginger and nut or seed textures. Appreciating food textures is a no-calorie add. 💭

3.Make healthy desserts. This is my specialty area and weakness turned into a positive, net gain.

It’s no baking secret that butter and refined sugars add to weight gain. And ingredients like white flour and white sugar are inflammatory foods. Moderation is still the best modern way.

Plus incorporating more healthy foods to add a cushion.

Keeping a balance between tasty and healthy is a dynamic pairing duo.

And the sweet spot is they are usually easy bakes in minutes like a healthy pear or apple pie with cinnamon spice sweetness.

You can make a pumpkin pie from pumpkin puree that’s loaded with antioxidant Vitamin A and beta carotene. Mix in plant-based almond milk. Then add allspice that’s all anti-inflammatory goodness as the sweet five-spice version!

For holiday sweets, you can start with those whole food ingredients like cranberries with oranges or sweet potatoes and honey and holiday spices… and then zhugh up with a few cherries or nuts…

You don’t have to give up the party sides 😉 (I personally wouldn’t want to from all my party planning years).

All this to say, re-branding healthy foods into your daily life is rewarding to your body and food table, enjoyable, and a challenge you can embrace! 🎉

De-Stress Reminders During Holidays

De-stress is highly called for during the thick of holiday season and looming year-end goal deadlines. Because stress can build up fast any day like a ton of bricks. And can go away just as quickly like a tumbling over Jenga set.

But these types of short-term stressors are different than life long-term stressors that often don’t have a quick ending resolve. You can use the 5 reminders below today to help you through your waiting process.

You can also use short-term de-stress feelings and the useful reminders throughout this article to help you with your long-term stress situations.

…Like for me, I use baking as a way to de-stress and relax after a work week. It keeps me on my toes, literally. I prepare a sweet table of goods and choux.

A healthy Greek yogurt tear-and-share raspberry-pistachio Paris Brest and lemon coconut choux.

…and you too can create your table to help shoo-away stress, and celebrate de-stress.

What isn’t so easy to de-stress restore is undercurrent effects and emotional turmoil stored in the mind-body coming from long-term stress that’s hard to identify.

Those are usually invisible sources which means they’re not as easy to pinpoint and process: like dreams unrealized or deep trauma.

…Or areas of life that haven’t gone the way you wanted.

But unlike long-term stress sources, short-term stress sources are easier to describe with people, things, work deadlines and tasks involved. They are temporary thorns to the side or lasting for a season that has an end (like holiday season end).

Experiencing those temporary stressors mean you’re alive, putting yourself out there, and trying in this life! 🎉

And your gained experiences coming out of stressful situations won’t go wasted in your future as they help you build resilience and adaptability (that make you more productive and joyful, not leaning in on the negative emotions).

Plus, you can productively use the short-term stress situations to de-stress feel-good when they’re immediately over.

Then your heart beats its normal speed again and you do a happy dance inside for your accomplishments. 🫀

…Like when you make a deadline and now the work is out of your hands.

…You feel lighter as the weight is lifted and you get a quick sigh of relief.

Those de-stress happy relief feelings can last for a day or weeks, but they gradually wear off.

But through the process of handling stressful situations and then experiencing them go away, that teaches us for the next time… that things will be okay.

And those lessons carry you to help handle the long-term stress situations that sit as elephants-in-the-room for any season, usually season after season. 🐘 🐘

They’re overhanging in this season of your (and my) life. The problem hasn’t resolved or the dream hasn’t transpired yet.

This can be a few things or big areas in your life…

…And I know how that goes because I started out without balance where I had wheel-of-life (real wheel) problems that felt like I was wrapped around tornadoes. 🌪️

But the problems… no matter what they were, became less problematic as I grew because I gained more experiences and resilience. I also prayed for answers. And my self-care wheel grew.

Eventually coming out of each of those tough situations taught me the most about how to handle stress better and embrace a better life meant for me.

…And your challenging areas in your life have grown you the most. ⛰️

Long-term Stressors are Your Future Dreams

Those long-term stressors from decades ago (that are still around 🐘) are setups for your future dreams realized. ✨

They are what will be your Future Life that has more meaning and purpose than how you started off as an adult.

They will be part of your destiny… and they will lead you away from a ho-hum life that you’re not meant to live.

The sweet spot for you today is to see them as part of a long-term plan and believe they are already yours in the future.

But wisely let them go now if the timing isn’t right.

One day the stars will align in perfect timing for those dreams manifested. Just know they are yours.

In that mindset, you keep going and growing in your life now.

Also, connect-the-dots and remind yourself that your big dreams are in your recurring problems. Yes, they are!

And when you find the blessing in your problems today, you bypass unnecessary stress.

The problems in disguise will deliver you to your dreams on the other side that will change shape, form, and clothes. 😊

Those tough areas of life today that don’t seem to have any resolve in sight can take many twists and turns, heart and headaches, and often many years to come to pass…

They’re the recurring situations that keep showing up as a thorn to your side when you least expect or hope would resolve.

But most likely, they fly in and out of your life and then disappear from view again. But they are not outta the picture, even though they’re not fully visible yet.

They re-appear from time to time as reminders to keep us humble and from doing things and making decisions that we would regret later on.

…And they’re the same thorns that are meant to be turned into victory roses (dreams) later down the destiny road on your designed path.

…No matter what age you are, you have those thorny dreams right now in your life.

You know exactly what your big dream is that has shown up before in some way you know, even if you’re still wondering.

And how you manage your long-term stressor feelings is going to affect your daily life outcomes, physical, and mental health.

…So stay curious, not furious.

The dream triggers and memory reminders are hints for you to keep dreaming about this are, like you do when you’re motivated to fulfill accomplishments.

Except these big dreams blow the little victories away.

Jobs and accolades you acquire will pale in comparison to your dream purpose in this life.

If your dream purpose didn’t show up again occasionally, you wouldn’t know it can be real or leave room for chances.

You wouldn’t be leaving room for the possibilities… where anything is possible in this life.

And this life is meant to be a big adventure (as none of us know the future).

The choice is yours as to whether you embrace that what happens to you is good for you (and not a bad setback).

Enjoy the ride!

I know sometimes that can be easier said than done (or may seem like pie-in-the-sky thinking)… so in those times, simply start by working on stressing less as nothing good comes from stressful feelings.

And, a good de-stress reminder is:

Remember to keep failing forward.

…Especially on your personal growth attempts (to be a better person).

And remember to keep trying because anything worth pursuing won’t be easy.

If it were easy, you’d never appreciate what you got because you didn’t work to get it.

And these are 5 good de-stress reminders to help you through the season and the holidays especially when long-term stressors show up or blow up again…

De-Stress Reminders Around Holidays

1.Get peace.

If it’s meant to be, it will happen.

Find your peace.

Right now, today, and in this moment your life deserves peace.

Both calm inner peace and peace about your decisions.

Use discernment for decisions needed to be made and clarity from baby or micro step actions forward.

You’re meant to live whole, loving, and healed today.

(The opposite of living in fear or feeling something inside you is missing or broken).

You’re not a victim to your circumstances… and you can break out of those feelings and mindset in your journey.

“Let the peace of God rule in your heart.” – Colossians 3:15

2.Congratulate yourself on how far you’ve come in your situation.

Reflect on how far you’ve come with your same and recurring stressful situations that used to be so painful in some way.

When you don’t care so much about the situations causing stress anymore as you once did, that’s a healthy move because you’re letting go (and letting light in).

You’re also naturally learning to de-stress some in the process.

Continue to live celebrating your internal wins daily while life is working things out in your favor for the aligned perfect timing. ✨

3.Believe in good things to come.

Believe that what you’re going through and have gone through (…maybe painfully) will help your situation in the end and on the other side. 🌈

Waiting, setbacks, disappointment, and delays now are purposefully setups for your comeback and life appointments.

You can be a victor now by changing your feelings, relaxing, and de-stressing.

Your waiting and what you’re going through now won’t last, but your dreams will come to pass and they will last!

4.Keep going forward and growing healthy.

Keep growing and learning despite your stressful situations.

Keep changing your thoughts to positive, loving ones.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” -Roman 12:2

Your other life-giving areas of your life are meant for this season. 🌱

Cherish them today, because they will change one day.

Use them to help you de-stress through your worry, thorn situations.

5.Keep a de-stress routine.

Find a way to de-stress every day.

I like a warm cup of tea. 🫖

I also do 4-7-8 breathing: inhaling in the gratitude and exhaling stressful negative energy.

When I felt the weight of my situations, I made sure to re-center myself back on my yoga mat and think about what I would be looking forward to later in the week and at nights.

Daily, I stay grateful for what I have in life as part of my habit stack routine. We all have things to be appreciative of in our lives… shoes and socks, showers, food, roof, lights, tea…

And my peaceful ritual every night is at 5:30 pm while working and I’m waiting for the daily sky show to light up.

Looking up and glancing out my western facing windows from my seat, I see the sky colors gradually change from day to night.

I do a little work and then look back up to see the dark rainbow colors change like an Aurora Borealis display.

Occasionally there are late afternoon storms. I find those cleansing. I appreciate the thunder claps and silvery pitter patter rain drops.

It’s not about the type of show I get, it’s about the day and night showing up for me that I take personally.

Every day like clockwork for a half-hour, I pause and a new painted sky happens, often in shades of purple, orange, blues and whites, and that reminds me that EVERYTHING will be all right as promised.

…the sunset show is my de-stress therapy for this season. 🌅 And maybe that’s something to embrace in your changing season.